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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
A surprisingly, compulsively readable "memoir" (there are doubts regarding how much is true) about a French man convicted of murder and his many, many attempts to escape the infamous French prison system.
I am so glad I discovered this memoir for my AtW challenge: Territories (French Guiana). Papillon is a superb storyteller, and compellingly argues that civilized societies should rehabilitate criminals rather than condemn them to living deaths.
I really enjoyed reading this. Fantastic and OTT tales.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I just don't find any of these believable and the lack of common sense actually bored me to death. Also, I don't think "claiming" a girl at the age of 12(?) is very "honorable" for someone back in 1930s too. I despised this book so much.
LOVED it! This is the memior of Henri Charriere, nicknamed "Papillon", a French criminal sentenced to life in prison in French Guiana in 1931. He becomes obsessed with the idea of escape, and makes a number of attempts, untimately succeeding. The description of the prison system was fascinating, and the escape efforts make this a page-turner. I couldn't put it down.
The drawbacks: The author is (obviously) a criminal, not a professional author, so the writing is simple. And the story is unlikely to be absolutely true- but I didn't care at all. It was addictive. 4 and a half stars!
One of my favorite reads of 2007.
The drawbacks: The author is (obviously) a criminal, not a professional author, so the writing is simple. And the story is unlikely to be absolutely true- but I didn't care at all. It was addictive. 4 and a half stars!
One of my favorite reads of 2007.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book has been in my parents bookshelf all my life. Now I finally read it! I thought this adventure was interesting and sometimes very grim. I am not too bothered about how much of this is actually true or not. Probably many people had similar experiences in these prisons.
The book does feel a bit aged and that keeps me from rating it higher. Still I am happy to have finally read it!
This is part of the StoryGraph onboarding challenge 2024: Up-next suggestions.
The book does feel a bit aged and that keeps me from rating it higher. Still I am happy to have finally read it!
This is part of the StoryGraph onboarding challenge 2024: Up-next suggestions.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced